Fairy Tail - Zodiac War
by Ice Journals
Summary: Lucy and much of Fairy Tail are dragged into another world by request of its inhabitants to take on a mysterious mission. Lucy becomes the most important person in question when it's revealed that the twelve-or more?-Zodiac spirits of this world are not amiable beings answering to summonses, but hostile monsters terrorizing the entire state and forcing it into a state of siege.
1. Prologue

**00 - Prologue**

**I haven't written long fanfictions for a long time, forgive me if this is-well, really bad.**

**An Alternate Universe idea I thought up in about twenty minutes' time. I figure if Edolas can exist, why can't other parallel worlds and, by extension, other Celestial Worlds? Inspired by Hiro Mashima's new designs on the Celestial Zodiac Spirits. This begins the Intro chapter, in which Fairy Tail and a certain Snake Wizard find contact. Enjoy. **

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><p>"What do mean, 'it's at my place'?!"<p>

Lucy was speaking to Scorpio, the Scorpion spirit of the Zodiac. The place in question was a desert oasis rumored to be the meeting point of several worlds, and only just now had Scorpio mentioned that it was a sort of second home to him.

_"Yep! The oasis is where I come to visit sometimes. Used ta' be a desert dweller with my key a few hundred years ago-this is Earthland time, a'course-and there _mighta_ been a few years of worship of me as a result."_

Lucy had the distinct feeling that a certain Water Bearer wouldn't have been hearing this information.

"So, this desert oasis, this place of worship-it's got links to other worlds?"

_"S'definitely got the closest thing. I 'gn cross over in that area a' the desert usin' pretty much zero power. Partly 'cuz a' the high spiritual energy around, an' partly 'cuz of the connection to the stars. Ain't no clouds or tall buildings there, 'ya know."_

Lucy thought before she responded, thinking of her goal, which was to communicate with Edolas, and what she knew of it. "I don't know much about the links between worlds. I was able to summon you in Edolas, so I'm not sure whether parallel Earthlands, or other places, are exactly closer or farther to the Celestial world." If only, she thought, Earthland had the capacity to breach the void as Edolas had with their Anima. There could possibly be other Anima, but looking for and using those was about as reliable a quest as the one she was going on now. There was the possibility of having a spirit try to take someone to Edolas side-along, but she had no guarantee of the ramifications of something like that. And in the end, she didn't want to go there again, just talk to someone there.

"Remind me again, how this oasis functions as 'your place'?"

Scorpio suddenly looked uncomfortable, an unprecedented sight when dealing with the shirtless red-and-white-haired spirit.

_"It, ah...well, it used to be a place I, uh...went a lot. With a friend, 'ya know."_

Lucy sensed mention of Aquarius in her absence again.

"Alright, I'm gonna get some friends. Give me an idea of where to go and you can meet me there, got it?"

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><p>Two hours later, a magic automobile was heading out into the desert, a brutal but unfelt sun beating down on its roof, driven and powered by Makarov Dreyar and guided by the Compass, Pxyis, along with directions from Scorpio. Though Lucy had assured everyone that this was more than likely a guess and nothing more, and that the odds were that there was absolutely no way contact with another world was going to be established, and that she <em>really didn't appreciate the better half of Fairy Tail riding along with her to check it out<em>, a band of followers had come anyway. These included Natsu, Gajeel, Erza, Wendy, and Gray, but also Levy, Juvia, and the Strauss siblings, who (Lisanna aside) had been turned into the lacrima the last time they'd been in Edolas. Laxus and Makarov had also deigned to come, Laxus because he'd been traveling and missed the entire Edolas fiasco in the first plact, and Makarov because of the danger of another hostile alternate world scenario. Happy, Carla, and PantherLily were here too, Pantherlily having brought the stash of ex-pills that restored usage of magic power that Mystogan had created-though this was known to nobody but himself. Strangely, Cana and the Thunder Legion hadn't wanted to come, the latter of which struck Lucy as odd-everyone knew they went where Laxus went. There was a whole crowd of people when really Lucy'd have been happy with one.

Lucy herself was upfront, between Makarov, who was conversational, and Laxus, who was entirely silent and looked thoroughly bored. Behind her were Erza, Gray, and Natsu. Natsu was busy trying not to puke. Gray and Lucy were discussing the parameters of inter-world contact, and wondering if Mystogan might have had some way to form one.

"I quite look forward to seeing this oasis, Lucy, I'm surprised you're not more excited yourself."

Lucy looked down at her tiny guildmaster, jovial as ever and eyes still on the road, which was now nearly nonexistant and quickly becoming sand as they headed into the desert. "That's because what everyone here wants is too good to be true. I'm all for visiting exotic places, but everyone here is hoping we'll get to see Mystogan and other people from Edolas again. You know it's true, even if they lie-and some of them do." She mentioned dully, jerking her head towards Laxus, who acted as though he hadn't heard. Or perhaps he really hadn't heard, given his ever-present headphones.

"Now Lucy, do you remember the reason Fairy Tail was given its name?"

She looked over at her tiny master, wondering what bizarre old man's concept could be applied to that kind of trivia. "Because no one knows if fairies have tails? And so it's a never-ending mystery, and therefore a never-ending adventure?" Even if she'd never heard those words from Makarov, she'd definitely never forget hearing them from Hades.

"That's it. So I say, as long as we have mystery, we have adventure. And as long as we have adventure, we have Fairy Tail. That's why I think there can be no good reason we shouldn't come."

_Uuuuugh_, she thought. _Save me the spiels._

"Really, Master? If you applied that logic to any situation, you'd have hardly any guildmembers left, ya know."

"Oh, don't think like that Lucy."

This man was headed to an early grave as far as Lucy was concerned.

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><p>Another couple hours later, the magic-mobile was a good ways into a desert, coming across the shadow of a large, familiar man with a metal scorpion's tail, situated next to a pool of water about fifty yards in diameter, although how deep it was couldn't be seen. There was also a small cave and a few palm trees and rocks scattered around. Makarov stopped the car.<p>

_"You, uh, brought a wicked huge amount 'a people with you there, Lucy."_

Everyone got out (Natsu very gratefully), surveying the area and Scorpio. Laxus and Elfman seemed to be sizing him up, while everyone else merely looked curious; Scorpio was not one of Lucy's more summoned spirits and not all of them had seen him before.

"Sorry...I uh, couldn't really make 'em stay at home, hehe." Lucy laughed nervously. "So, this is the place?" she said, gesturing at the water, which now that she thought about it, would feel incredibly cool to the touch, probably. It was hard to notice in the car, but the heat of the desert was sweltering once you were out of it. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sand shifting under her sandals felt burning hot even through the material. She didn't see how anyone could live here, though she imagined Scorpio just loved it. Was there a sunscreen spell anywhere? Seemed overbearing to take out Horologium.

"So, what is it about this oasis that'll connect us to other worlds?" she said, eyeing her surroundings with an eyebrow raised.

_"Ya wanna go in there. There should be an altar somewhere in there."_ Scorpio said, jerking his head at the cave. Immediately, Lucy turned a glare on him more fit to burn than the sun she was feeling.

_"Relax, relax."_ the spirit said, holding up his hands in a defensive manner. _"Ya got about a dozen or so wizards, dontcha? Plus me."_ he said, jabbing himself in the chest proudly. _"Ain't nothin' dangerous down there. Nothin' goes near here that often, plus you'll need me anyway. Bestcha have a powerful spirit around to ah, activate any various energies."_

Oh, how hard he tried to impress. Still giving the death glare, Lucy took out her keyring and summoned Crux, the Southern Cross, and her magic reading glasses. She figured Crux's vast knowledge could be helpful. Noticing the glasses in hand, Levy stepped forward and announced her intentions to help.

From what was visible, the cave, though small at the entrance, extended a few hundred yards back, sinking into the ground the entire way. There were markings around the opening, some characters she didn't recognize, but also various symbols, including the Sun, a constellation, a scorpion, a snake, and other desert creatures.

"Scorpio, lead the way in. Natsu, make a torch. Everyone else, do whatever, just don't wander off."

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><p>Though the cave was long and dark, it was not intimidating.<p>

The man who called himself Cobra was at the end of it, observing closely with hands and fingers an altar of red stone, flanked on either side by two torches in large golden stands, which he himself had lit. There were crevices and corners all along the walls, lending the torches much room to make shadows dance across the small room.

It was simple curiosity that had brought him here, lent to him by overhearing the Lucy girl in conversation with a spirit, having passed through Magnolia in attempt to see Kinana. Not that he was one to go on about parallel worlds or contacting them, but the sounds he'd heard in their heads were genuine memories-they existed, so why not take a look for himself? He heard now the footsteps of people approaching, far enough away that he wouldn't be seen on heard, but meaning that he had no way to exit the cave without being discovered, and though he wasn't sure they'd see him as an immediate enemy, he wasn't too fond of the idea of them noticing him either way. It's with ill grace that he extinguishes the torches and hides behind a crevice in the wall, praying to whatever deity might've inhabited this place that he wasn't found. He wasn't done sightseeing yet.

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><p><strong>Yeah, I've got no idea what I'm doing so far. Something important to note-my knowledge of Fairy Tail limited to the anime dub and the spoilers I've come across, so I won't be putting much of the real Fairy Tail continuity into it unless I can back it up.<strong>

**Thanks for reading, I hope I've got attention enough here for another chapter to be looked at.**


	2. Welcome To Addol-as, Pt 1

**01 - Welcome to Addol-as**

**Cobra's Listening Magic/mindreading will be denoted by italicized and bold text.**

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><p>Unseen in the crevice behind the wall, hardly breathing and not moving a muscle, Erik, Cobra to you, was listening hard, though it was hardly necessary. The members of Fairy Tail were investigating a message on the altar that must've appeared-<em><strong>no, had just recently appeared, so he wouldn't have seen it.<strong>_

"Can you hurry up?"

"Just give me a minute, it's not easy."

"It can't be that hard or you wouldn't be able to do it at all."

"Unless you wanna do it, Gajeel, shut up."

His ear twitched at the sounds of more magic being used. The script mage, Levy, was _**deciphering text that wasn't native Fiorean. Different style, different phonics, the only things that were the same were most of the letters.**_

"Ah...ash...no, ants. No, answer. It says 'answer'."

"Write back! Quickly! Put it in their script and ours, ask what's going on. We might be dealing with spirits. Are we sure there's nothing invisible in this room?"

_"Pretty sure, old man."_ came the voice of the Scorpion, and Cobra heard in his head that it was true. _"No spirits in here 'xcept me."_

More sounds, lights, from a magic seal. "I've written it out, if all that needs to be done is to write it on the altar, then whoever wrote on it before should get our message. Mind you, there's no guarantee this is even inter-world stuff, even if the text isn't any Fiorean we haven't seen."

Maybe around a minute passed. Cobra heard the answer in her head before she spoke it.

"Look! There's something there!"

"Well don't just stand there, translate it!"

_**We...are...**_

"Acc...I mean, Add, it says Add. Addle, Addolo, I think. Rito? Rato? Rahto? Wait, it's one word-Addolorato, I see now.

"Keep reading, anything else?"

"Yes!"

Cobra's ear twitched more persistently as he listened in.

_**Addolorato...our...our country...**_

"I think..."

_** where... **_

"Okay okay, the message is coming from a place called Addolorato, they want to know where this message is coming from."

"Tell them 'Earthland' but not Fairy Tail-"

_**Because we don't want them knowing too much in case they're hostile.**_

"Okay, here goes."

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><p>Within ten long minutes, in which time Cobra had started to get serious aches, it had been determined, with help from the Scorpion and Levy, that the message came from a place called Addolorato (pronounced <em>AH-doh-loh-RAH-toh<em>), and that that place did not have any idea what Fiore was, although they did recognize the term Earthland. Who "they" were was not entirely clear. Addolorato, quickly nicknamed by Natsu "Adol-as", definitely was capable of using magic as well, as if the ouija-bourd-like altar wasn't a big enough hint.

Had Cobra not been able to listen in the way he did, he'd never have believed contacting another world, or at least another country, could be this...easy. As it was, it still seemed too good to be true that a dimension had been crossed. Then again, Celestial Wizards did that all the time. He'd have to get a hold of Sorano and ask her about that some time. Plus, they were in the middle of a desert.

"Who's putting in the messages? Ask them if they know anyone from a place called Edolas. Maybe Addolorato is a part of it?"

Seconds passed...

There was a disappointed groan from Natsu when Levy revealed that no, the people they were communicating with had never heard of Edolas either. Who was writing the messages, however, was 'President G of the Capital' if Levy was reading it right, along with 'several comms wizards' and 'two representatives of state'. When the question came through of who was being communicated with on their side, the answer of a lightning wizard, an iron wizard, a fire wizard, a script wizard, a knight wizard, three transformation wizards, a water wizard, a sky wizard, an ice wizard, and a celestial wizard, along with a celestial spirit, and their master. And, (as an afterthought) three cat wizards as well. They didn't mention the guild, as they hadn't been given the organization to which there was a president or a capital.

This took a painful amount of time to put on the altar, which Lucy noted resentfully. It also took a noticeably longer time to get an answer back, but when they did, there was an absolute flood of text, so much so that most of the altar was covered. The script mage went on to decipher it, and it looked like the Addoloratians...Addolorans...Addolites? Whatever they were, they had gone nuts at the mention of a celestial wizard.

From what was being said, it seemed that _they_ had wondered at length how Lucy had managed to "capture" a celestial spirit. At this, Scorpio (sounding rather offended) announced that he'd be back if Lucy needed him. This made no change that Cobra could tell in the quality of the messages which, from that point on, came back almost instantly.

Celestial spirits seemed to be a problem for the other end, and at this point the messages were clamoring for help with some sort of problem. By this time everyone was certain that it was another world being communicated with, for Celestial Spirits could almost certainly be no large-scale problem for an entire state in Earthland. There was a long gap between the replies while the guild members debated on what to do.

"We don't want something like another Faust..."

"How do these people expect us to help? How're we supposed to get there?"

"And what if we can't get back? What if we're turned into a lacrima again?"

"We can't know any of this." came Makarov's voice. "And I refuse to take simple word for it. On the one hand, if we were to help, we could get compensation, and therefore it would be much like taking a job, but..."

"We'll not be forgetting who they asked for help from, really, will we?" Interrupted Lucy's timid voice.

"We should ask for a way to jump to wherever they are, and proof that they are not hostile. Unless they can provide it, we will not be going anywhere. Are we agreed?"

There was a murmur of assent broken only by disappointed groans from Natsu and Gajeel.

"Very well. Levy, if you will?"

Silence...

"They say it'll take time to make but that an attempt will be made."

"Will tomorrow be enough time?"

More silence...

_**Yes.**_

"Yes!"

"In that case, let's leave for now."

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><p><strong>Does this story sound okay? It's hard to write it without being self-conscious, really. Leave a review, even though it's somewhat early, if you want.<strong>


	3. Welcome To Addol-as, Pt 2

**02 - Welcome to Addol-as, Part 2**

**No author's notes, except sincere apologies for sore overuse of the linebreak feature.  
><strong>

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><p>Makarov had wanted proof of intention, and so it came. Over the course of the next few days, small amounts of bronze coins appeared at the altar site along with a message each time. Though they gave no more clues as to the details of the mission they desired Lucy for, the messages did seem to increase in desperation, according to Levy. Strangely, the coins never appeared in exactly the same place. The second day, they appeared first next to the altar, then halfway through the cave, then next to the altar again. The third day, they landed as far out as on the edge of the oasis pool. When left in their respective spots, the coins would later disappear.<p>

Small bribes-though as far as Fairy Tail knew, they were priceless-did not do much to sway Makarov, or the rest of Fairy Tail, in that these people were not hostile. However, there was little more to go on and it was unlikely there _would _be more to go on. They opted not to tell any higher-ups, or indeed anyone else at all, about the altar site, as some of the more paranoid might've thought it a device used to communicate with characters as unsavory as, say, Zeref.

The last message they sent on the altar came back with the promise of whatever could be given to them, which really amounted to money at the moment according to the message. Apparently the 'present situation' couldn't allow for anything else.

It was with ill grace that Makarov permitted the mission three days after the initial discovery, on the promise that he himself and everyone present also came.

The hour before they were to go to the oasis to stay, however, Lucy, who was the primary on this proposal, cornered Carla.

"You can't see anything dangerous ahead of us, right?"

Carla furrowed her brows, her ears pulling down.

"My prophetic ability has been...indeterminate, since the Fairy Sphere."

"You really can't use it? You can't see anything?"

"I see flashes of a desert. That's it."

"So, you can see, but you lost whatever control you had?"

"By and large, and more. I very much doubt that the desert in question is any but this one."

"But that could mean that we come back, right? That we come back safely? So everything'll be okay?"

"Lucy..."

Carla sighed. Lucy felt frustrated with the nature of her power. What she'd give to have clairvoyance...but she knew that it must be all the more frustrating to Carla to have such a power swiped out from under her so soon after she'd garnered some control over it.

"I see. Thanks anyway."

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><p>Later, the snake wizard Cobra was to be found sneaking silently along the wall of the cave, making his way to the altar site, and using Sound Magic to muffle his steps, although he still needed to walk slowly given the long cave and how much it echoed. There was no way to tell when the Fairy Tail wizards were set to cross over, as no one could guarantee time or even how it was mention between the two destinations. He edged along to rock, keeping his eyes to his right and occasionally turning his head back to the left, towards the entrance, so that eventually he was adding a crick in his neck to his number of aches.<p>

The torches came into view in the distance, and Cobra redoubled his efforts at remaining silent. If any of the dozen or so strong group happened to look backward, they'd see him and he'd be in serious trouble. Hearing their thoughts and knowing when they were about to turn their heads wouldn't give him enough time to leave undiscovered.

Whether he really wanted to go to another world...well, he hadn't fully decided. It was a hard decision to make in only three days' time. If he ended up coming along, well, he'd hope for the best. It would have to be a split second matter.

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><p>No one's attention, however, was focused on Cobra. After two hours and forty-three minutes' waiting, at 4:47 in the afternoon, something happened. The torches on either side of the altar began to spit and sputter and shoot sparks. At first Lucy and the others jumped back, preparing for an assault, only to see that the torches weren't the source of their own disturbance. It wasn't just the flames that were being disrupted-the entire altar, then the entire end of the cave, was starting to distort and warp out of its shape. Lucy heard Master Makarov urging everyone to keep their defenses up, but to stay still.<p>

And then, when the distortions grew so heavy and active that people could no longer see, the room went dark.

From the outside, if one could've been able to see it, it would've looked as though a bright flash had consumed the inside of the cave, coming out on the other side like a camera flash, only for an explosion, or perhaps an earthquake, to trigger and remove fourteen people and three cats from the scene as though they'd never been there.

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><p><strong>Later, unknown time, unknown place <strong>

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><p>Cobra's eyes snapped open. His left cheek ached; a lot of him ached, actually. His ears were full of the sounds of a strong wind all around him as well as panicky, murmuring voices. The side of him that wasn't lying on sand was feeling it blown across his face in the high wind. The thoughts around him were identical to the voices; wondering where they were, what was going on. As far as he could tell, they were not at the oasis; nor at the altar nor at any cave. All of it was gone, but not <em>destroyed<em> gone-it just wasn't there.

They had done it. They had traveled. To another world, he wasn't sure, but they'd definitely moved. That, or they'd traveled in time; there was no way to tell. Of course, the only way to travel through time was with the Arc of Time, which can't affect sentient beings save a particular spell. As far as they knew, anyway.

So, was this Addolorato? Adol-as?

Cobra's peace wasn't a long one; he could hear the thoughts, and voices, of those out of the group who had spotted him already, and he dared not try to get away, or even move. Blissfully thankful that he was the only one here who could hear thoughts, he gulped quickly and feigned shock and ignorance when a rough hand gripped his arm and rolled him over, and a face flew inches away from his own: Erza Scarlet's.


	4. Discovery

**04 - Discovery  
><strong>

**Here's where the story picks up a bit. Follow it if you like it!  
>Cobra's Listening Magic denoted by bolded text.<br>**

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><p>Regaining a semblance of his senses in a jolt, Cobra's ears twitched and his eyes moved in similar manner, moving back and forth so fast he must've appeared REM to Erza, the woman who had her nose about an inch from his. From what he could tell, in addition to figuring that they were in a parallel desert oasis site without the oasis, it was nighttime and the sky was a mass of black obscured by sand, high winds were blowing, and Erza's face was filled with a mix of dislike and mistrust.<p>

"What are you doing here. How did you get here?"

"I don't know."

It was answer thought up in half a second. He could hear it in her thoughts, she was an inch away from **requipping another sword**-wait, that's right, she'd done it already, perhaps unconciously, reflexively. She was gripping the handle in her right and and his shoulder in the left.

"Don't lie. You were in a place you should've had no knowledge of with people you've fought twice, in a cavern with only one exit."

His ears twitched harder as more thoughts turned their attention to him, more faces looked his way. It was getting difficult to concentrate, smooth an operator as he might've been.

"I...ahh..."

He hadn't had time to make his decision, even though he'd been preparing to at any moment. Of course, it could only be obvious that there was a chance of popping up somewhere without a chance of escaping; he could've run off the moment they'd landed, and he doubted they could've stopped him-well, save Makarov or his grandson-but all the same, that came down to the fact that they'd woken up before he had.

Briefly, in Makarov's head, he caught the order before it was given: **Laxus, look around, quickly. See if anyone else is around. **Then he heard lightning and clapped a hand to his ears.

Erza was losing her patience, and the sword's edge came to rest at his throat.

"_I was curious, okay?!_"

He could hear sounds of lightning ringing in his ears even over the high winds, repeatedly, more distant each time. The son, Laxus, was looking around, and **hadn't seen anyone else.** Ear twitching, though, Cobra knew better. Or at least he thought he did; he was sure he'd heard something.

"Nobody else here, that I can tell."

"-I think there is."

Erza's sword pressed yet more firmly against his neck, her eyes narrowed.

"Look, can I get up? I can't think like this."

The redhead released him with extreme reluctance, allowing him to get to his feet, and meanwhile he was able to get a better bearing. He stood up, his remaining eye scanning the faces. All were turned towards him; some looked fierce, like Natsu and Gray. Others looked concerned and on edge, like Wendy and Lucy. The guildmaster, Makarov, was staring him down without blinking, a brilliant but small ball of light flaring at his fingertips. He didn't blame their mistrust. That said, it was much easier to get a game face on now that he could stand. He knew what they were thinking, and promptly began telling the biggest lies and half-truths he could.

"That site was just a coincidence. That desert had been home to a weird community practicing weird magic before, I just wanted to take a stroll around. If I'd wanted to attack you, I was right behind you in the cavern. I could've done it and you guys would've had no way to get out of it. You all sounded like you were getting messages from somewhere, I didn't know I was going to get dragged along with you...Which makes me _your_ responsibility-you got me here, and you'll have to get me back."

He could see plain disbelief etched in many faces and saw it echoed in the minds. Others, though few, simply seemed unsure whether to believe the very blatant lies; that said, it wasn't a total loss given that. The last sentence also seemed to have solidified some belief-he had turned them into the bad guys and lain less doubt on himself that way. He took the resulting silence as an opportunity to go on.

"But at any rate, seeing as how I'm here, I can help you-we don't seem to be close to any civilization, and it looks like you guys are about to have a sandstorm on your hands." Even as he said it, the winds seemed to increase in ferocity; he'd soon have to yell to be heard. "I can probably sound out if there were a road nearby, I bet, even if you haven't spotted one."

And as he said _that_, he heard that faint sound, more persistent this time. It wasn't through the air, it was through the ground, but even so the high winds were making it difficult to discern. There could and would be any indeterminate number of desert animals out here.

Erza spoke up first: "We're keeping an eye on you. Your magic is dangerous and you could be an extreme detriment to us. Try anything though, and I won't be the one to make you pay." she said, jerking her head at the Master. Aside from being a wizard saint, the son Laxus had apparently bested a high-ranking wizard saint for his own. They were right, there was no room for questionable actions.

He took this at its obvious meaning; they hadn't paid full trust in him yet. No matter, there was no sword at his throat. That was a great help.

"You said you heard someone?" the guild master spoke up, but Laxus interrupted:

"If anyone was around I'd have seen them. I put out flashes and looked around; I'd have lit up anyone withing dangerously close distance."

"I heard something." Cobra said, looking irritatedly at Laxus. "Could be just an animal in the sand. It's hard to tell with this storm coming on."

"You said you could help us find civilization?" But again he was cut off, this time by Lucy.

"That won't be a problem. I've got the Compass spirit, remember?" he heard her take out her keyring, pull one, and speak thusly: "Open, gate of the Compass. Pyxis!"

...

...Nothing happened.

"...It didn't work."

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Natsu." Came the frustrated reply. "Open, gate of the Compass! Pyxis!" Pause. "Pyxis! Hey, what's wrong with this thing?!"

Her voice was rising to a shaky tone. The key didn't seem to be broken. Cobra rather enjoyed as attention passed briefly from him to Lucy. She tried more Celestial Spirit keys; none of them seemed to work. Strange, as Erza, Laxus, and Makarov had all been able to use their magic.

"What the hell's going on?!"

Eyebrow raised, Cobra observed the happenings curiously; less attention was being paid to him, which was a good thing, although they were likely to assume he'd done something to cause it. Before he could say anything in his defense, though, he heard it again, distinctly: the same thing that was making the noise from earlier, and definitely underground and much closer than before. His ear twitched and he opened his mouth, interrupting:

"I hear something."

All attention once again turned to him.

"Well, what is it?" Laxus said, raising his own eyebrow.

"Something big...about seven feet-"

He didn't get a chance to finish the sentence, as just then the guildmaster, Makarov, let out a scream, and Cobra could both see why and feel it through the vibrations: a black...something, visible even through the sand in the air, was coiling out from under the sand, and had pierced him in the ankle.

Slowly, an enormous man began to rise out of the sand, black tail twisting at his feet.

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><p><strong>I hope this chapter caught a little more attention? This fanfiction, should I ever finish it (I'm that guy from Jimmy Neutron that could never finish anything basically) will be pretty long. Follow and favorite if you liked! Thanks for reading!<strong>


	5. Scorpion Man

**04 - Scorpion Man**

**The first Addolorato native is met! Perspective belongs to Lucy this chapter.  
><strong>

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><p><em>"AAAAAAAAAAAugh-"<em>

The man that had risen from the sand wasn't facing the Fairy Tail group. He had risen as through from a grave, standing up from a kneeling position as sand shifted and sunk around him. Seven feet tall, there wasn't a shred of clothing on him, but given the situation, it wasn't even close to funny. His skin seemed tanned, though it could've been any tone in the rising sands and winds. The black, coiling tail that had pierced the now screaming guildmaster's ankle was swinging lazily around the man's legs, and Lucy could see that there appeared to be a huge, black scorpion hanging onto the man's back, legs clinging around his middle. He turned, and Lucy found herself stepping back as sunken sockets stared down at them all, past which Lucy couldn't see any evidence of pupils or irises.

The observance of both the celestial wizard and the man beast was interrupted, however. A blast of white, arcing lightning had lit up what seemed to be miles of desert, striking the scorpion man straight in the side. There came a sound of something between a howl and a screech, and in an instant, the entire man had disappeared. Lucy could see the sand continuing to shift a few seconds after it had gone.

"_Don't just stand there!_"

Turning, the other twelve people present saw Laxus, huddled on the ground around Master Makarov, whose agony was being made very clear. Lucy bit her lip, staring at the six-foot-three man cradling a howling man so tiny he could've been a child. Master Makarov had been incapacitated before, but on both such occasions-when he'd been drained of all magical power by Aria, and then when he'd nearly suffered a fatal heart condition at Fantasia-but both times had been occasions where the Master had been unconscious, deathly ill. Now he was yelling his head off, and Laxus's face mirrored Lucy's horror. Holding his grandfather in one arm, Laxus got to his feet and in an instant was holding Cobra by the collar with the other.

"_Did you do this?!_"

Cobra held up his hand where a magic seal appeared-Laxus tensed and flashed electricity over his body-and suddenly Lucy could no longer hear the roaring of the wind over the Desert, or Makarov's screaming, though he was still visibly shaking and yelling. Sound magic had been used.

"I didn't do this." Cobra said, an edge to his voice. "But I can help. Let me tend to the venom. That was a scorpion's venom, I can help. Your friend Wendy might be useful, too. What _you_ need to do," he said, taking a breath, "is look around for a path or trail or civilization of some kind. If we don't find one we don't know if we'll be walking further into the desert. And you people don't have food or water, I notice."

This was true, and not only that, they were having problems with their magic-or at least Lucy seemed to be. Nobody else had experienced any difficulties in the use of their magic as far as Lucy knew. While the rest of the guild watched, tense, Laxus glared at Cobra for a moment before releasing him. Quite clearly, leaving the master alone with a stowaway they'd discovered minutes before, who'd once participated in the kidnapping of the _other_ party who could help here, was not an easy thing to do. Looking around, Lucy saw fear and tension mixing on all the others' faces. Natsu's fists were aflame, and Erza's was gripping her sword so tightly her knuckles had turned white.

"If he dies, you die." Laxus said, before lightning struck and he disappeared, only to reappear a distance that, as far as Lucy could tell, could be a few hundred yards away or miles.

Immediately, everyone crowded around the master, whose screams were still unheard (for which a part of Lucy was thankful; Cobra more than probably was, she thought), but whose writhing and twitching made his situation very clear. From his ankle, a reddish black ooze was leaking, and shades of it were quickly spreading up his leg, so quickly that Lucy could see it happening. Cobra looked up at Wendy, who sat across from him on the right, Makarov's left.

"Get to work healing him. I'm gonna focus on the wound." he murmured.

Magic seals lit up the master's body from the palms of the two healers, while Lucy continued to vaguely see and hear lightning flashing around the desert. Subtle changes would happen in the master's posture-a twinge here, a clenching of his fists-but as far as Lucy could see, the condition wasn't changing, which was incredibly strange-Wendy's healing magic was powerful, and had once saved Erza from a similar situation.

"Maybe he's not trying to really help...?" Natsu mumbled from Lucy's left. She could tell he was itching for an excuse to hit something, although whether he believed Cobra would attempt to murder their master, she couldn't tell. She wasn't sure she herself could, and Natsu usually believed pretty well of people even when they'd acted wrongly, like Laxus. Apparently, however, Cobra had heard them, for he'd bolted straight upright and sand was immediately flying.

More yells; there was the sound of metal through the air and when Lucy could see again, Erza had Cobra at swordpoint again.

"_Get the hell off me!_"

"What was that about? Why are you attacking us?!"

"Yeah man, what gives?"

More protests, but Cobra was pointing away, trying to aim a magic seal past Erza's blade. Again, Lucy spotted the ground shifting in an odd pattern, away from them, before sinking. Cobra had been aiming at the scorpion-man-creature that had attacked Makarov.

"Now let go of me so I can get back to saving your Master's ass." he said gruffly, pushing Erza's sword away. "How's he doing, kid?"

"He's not healing." Wendy said, who looked to be on the verge of tears. "I keep casting the spell, but he's still in this state and I-"

Makarov had stopped twitching and screaming. Now he looked much as he had on the other times he'd been taken out of the fight: still, deathly still. Cobra knelt, a hand on his forehead. The dark red shades and liquid had vanished, however.

"I removed the venom from his circulation system and muscles, and his lungs too, but it reached his brain before I could really do anything. I don't wanna try and mess around up there in case I screw him up or accidentally kill him. Kid-Wendy, anyway-I need you stop casting the same spell and focus on keeping him in this state. Stop it from progressing any further. Y'know how to do that?"

"I-I think so."

_If this were a plan to off Master Makarov, it's a convoluted one. You'd think he'd just blast us all with Sound magic if he wanted to. _

More magic seals, and Cobra explained that the source of the problem at hand was, once again, Body Link magic.

"Body Link magic was the type of magic sealing away Zero, wasn't it?" Lucy said, eyebrows jumping. She remembered Zero, the true master of the Oracion Seis and Brain's alternate personality. Whereas Hades, the master of Grimoire Heart, had sought to awaken Zeref and bring about his rule to the world, Zero only wanted destruction, the destruction of all things, and could easily cause it. If this was a situation hiding something similar...she felt herself shudder. Body Link magic had also been used by Laxus, when he'd taken all of Magnolia hostage.

"It was. Whatever this poison is, it isn't going to be stopped that easily until we can destroy the source of it. Which means we need to try and destroy that creature if we come across it. Until we can do that, we need to get this guy to safety." he said, raising his hand in the air and firing a burst of poison mist. Quickly, Laxus found his way back to the grouping, and muscled his way through to the center where his grandfather lay, while Wendy finished her spell.

"There. That should hold him at his current state, I think, but I can't be sure."

"In that case, all the more urgent we find civilization."

"I've checked, and I think I managed to spot something in the horizon that might be a city. It's a long way off, though." Laxus said, who didn't look exactly calm, but at least less than homicidal. Hoisting his grandfather into his arms again, he turned in the direction he'd indicated. "We're gonna have to hurry, this storm's getting pretty damn bad. _I'm in charge_," he called to the surrounding members. "Wendy, your job's to keep the wind from blowing too much sand around us so we can see. Lucy-!" he called.

Lucy jolted; she'd never really interacted directly with Laxus all that much before, what did he want?

"You're in the middle." he said, pointing to a spot some five feet to his left. "Make sure ya got all your keys on ya. Everybody else," he called out, "form a circle around her, Wendy, and me. Cobra's in the front. You," he said, directing his attention to the one-eyed man, "blast us a pathway in that direction."

"That's not smart." the answer came. "Making a lot of noise is just gonna draw that thing right back to us; my guess is it's got some sort of seismic sense, so it'll be able to hear where we are at around the same level as me."

"_Then blow the fucking thing to smithereens when it gets here_. And you might as well be our radar while you're at it." Laxus responded, teeth grit. "That goes for the rest of you too. Now _form up_."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's notes: I'm already having to alter this story, the better to have Lucy as less the helpless girl state she's in right now. The English dub recently updated, from the date this chapter publishes anyway, and I really want to have Lucy as a more action-prone character than the Fairy Tail show or manga seems to be going. Hope no one minds.<strong>

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